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Newbee in Missouri.

Hi guys!

I just thought I'd drop in and introduce myself. I just joined after buying a '09 R1200RT at Grass Roots BMW in Cape Girardeau MO. It's my first BMW. I rode dirt bikes (mostly RM's) for about 15 years, then a Honda which went by the wayside when my son was born. When he graduated high school, I bought a V-Star which I just traded for the RT. I was actually looking for an RT at that time, but I found a steal and decided to try it out to see if I would get back into riding enough to justify the expense. Now here I am. the happiest man on the planet today with my RT in the parking lot!

I'm an air traffic controller here, but I'm a native of the Milwaukee area. I just have never been the Harley type and have purposely avoided them (no offense). I've been reading on these forums for months and will try not to ask questions before hitting the search button. If I make any stupid mistakes posting, I can live with some polite correction. I've got a lot to learn about farkling, so I'll be around a lot.

I'm hoping to do some quick jaunts this summer of 3-4 days and a little adventure. I've got gobs of vacation time and will be trying to get my feet wet as far as touring/camping.

Larry, welcome aboard! You will find a great and varied group of people here. From info on farkles to places to ride to the best place to eat, their are lots of answers and opinions (boy do we have opinions )here. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask

The National Rally is in Tennessee this year and some great riding and events. Hopefully you can fit it into your vacation time and meet some of your fellow MOA members. Also the Regional forums can help connect you with some local folks.

Welcome, Larry. I think the RT is the finest road bike I have ever ridden, and I wish you many happy miles. I also had a V-Star 1100, then a HD Road King prior to coming to BMW. There is much information about your bike, and almost everything else on the forum. In the Hexhead section there are tech tips which include photos and detailed instructions of key maintenance issues, if you are so inclined. Drop us a PM if we can help you in any way.

Ballston Spa, NY; South of the Adirondacks, North of the Catskills and West of The Berkshires and Green Mountains

Posts

6,822

Welcome Aboard RTFlyer.

Just about everything you want to know about BMW Motorcycles can be found here. When you are looking for a topic or need a question answered the site's search engine is invaluable. There are two search buttons. I have the best luck with the one located:

I ride the roads just west of here all the time. It's only about a 20 minute ride to some twisties. I was treated well at Grass Roots, which I see now is par for the course. I know they do Wednesday dinner rides here, but that is the one night I work until 7:00 pretty much every week, all year. I'm up for some rides any other time. While waiting for them to set up my bike, I ran into an old family friend who apparently loiters there and rides a GS now. I hadn't seen him in years, but I'm certain we'll manage to ride a few times.

I'm glad to see that there is a community of enthusiatic, yet responsible riders here. I had the misfortune of riding through two bikes (one tumbling, one spinning) and three riders last spring after a rear tire blew out on the lead bike (riding two up). We were changing lanes at about 70 MPH and he did a quick shudder, then went down hard right on the centerline. He was then hit by number two who came off his bike, and I was number three. Everyone was pretty well geared up, so it it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but I am a huge proponent of proper gear now. I missed both bikes and the riders by the skin of my teeth as I grabbed for the brakes and swerved through them. A Harley Road King missed my head by about six inches as I ducked it to the right, and it was five feet in the air. Oh yeah, did I mention that we were passing an 18 wheeler (four lane highway) and I was just past his front bumper to his left at the time? I had nowhere to go but straight through the mayhem, and he went right, thank God. One of the riders actually walked away after it! Even accounting for deceleration, he had to be going 60 when he came off. That's what good gear will do for you.

I'm probably still on my honeymoon with the bike, but I am amazed each time I ride. There are many people with more riding experience on other bikes, but I have never ridden anything like it. It's been hard to go to work and look down on it in the parking lot, that's for sure.

I'm reading , reading, reading now. Like I said, I have lots of questions, but I'm trying to soak it all in before I start asking.

RTFlyer.....seems we have a couple things in common; both bought 09RT12's from Herb and both from Cape Area, check my profile. Email me if you want.
Planning to make the Marble Falls, Ark rally on July 4th, as well as the big one in Tenn.